Improvement in canal-lock mechanisms



GEORGE HEAT-H, OF ANNAPO'LIS, MARYLAND.

Letters Patent No. 110,459, 'datedDecember 27,1870.

iMPROVEMENT IN CANAL-LOCK MECHANISMS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern.

Beit known that I, GEORGE HEATH, of Annapolis, in the county of AnneArundel and State of Maryf land, have invented a new and improved ValveMechanism for Canal Locks; and I do hereby declarethat the following isa full, clear,'and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing making part oi' this specification, in which-Figure 1is a cross-section ihrougha canal-lock valve, showing theimproved mechanism for operating it.

Figure 2 is a View of the v'ertically-iiiovable rod,y

having a rack applied to its upper part.

Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, top and sideviews, showing the mannerof guiding and operating the vertical rod.

' Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

This invention relates to improvements of mechanism for operatingcanal-lock -valves.

Ihe nature of my invention consists in a hollow rack, fitted and connedby a nut or stop upon the reduced portion of the vvertical rod whichforms a part of the mechanism employed for opening aud closing thevalves of a canal-lock gate.

The` object of my improvement is to relieve the rack of strain other.than that which results from compression.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willldescribe its construction and operation.

In the .accompanying drawing- A represents a wrought-metal rod, theupper portion of which is reduced in diameter and passes through aholemadelocgitudinally through a cast-metal toothed rack, a.

By means of the nut a', on the upper end of th rod A, the rack issecured iirmlyiu place on this rod.

B is a pltma-n or link, which connects the lower end ofthe rod A to'oneofthe arms g of'an oscillating crab or lever G, the other arm ot' whichis connected to a rod, C, which is pivoted to a lug, 1,'ou the valve D,as shown in iig. l.

The crab G is applied on a shaft, J, which is supported by a bearing,J'.

At b the lower part of rod A is guided by a bracket or staple, and abovethis guide l1 rod A passes through a sill-beam on top of thecanal-wall,and rises above thelatter alongside of a standard-bearing, N.

This bearing N is permanently secured down to the sill-beam, and alfordssupport lto the shaft of a toothed segment, lt, andan anti-frictionwheel, a, between which the rack a- 0,11 rod Ais held and guided, asshown in figs. 3 and f1.

'lo the toothed segmentl It a hand-lever, L, is secured, by vibratingwhich the rod A will be moved vertically up and down and valve D Openedand shut.

It will be seen that by my mode ot' applying lthe rack a to the rod A,thc only strain which this rack will be subjected to will be that-ofcompression, which will not be liable to break this rack, even when itis subjected t0 very rough use.

I do not claim Linder this application valves which are applied to ahorizontal platform; nor do I claim the crab G, as this device isdescribed in au application for Letters Patent marked case A, andbearing even date with the filing of this.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Leittcrs Patent, is-

The hollow rack a, iitted and confined by a uutor stop up'on the reducedportion of a vertical rod A, which serves asv part of -the mechanism foropening and closing canal-lock valves, substantially as mulfor thepurpose described. 4

' GEO. HEATH.

Witnesses:

J. N. CAMPBELL, EDM. F. BROWN.

tutti (ttiitt. y'

